Law No. 30 of 2002 – Environmental Protection Law

This law establishes general provisions for the protection of the environment in Qatar. Its objectives include: maintaining environmental quality and natural balance; avoiding damage and adverse effects resulting from plans and programs of construction, industrial, agricultural, or economic development, and raising environmental awareness; sustainable development of natural resources; protection of the society and public health, fauna and flora from harmful environmental actions. 

 

According to this legislation, the Supreme Council for Environment and Natural Reserves is the main authority on environmental matters, responsible for maintaining natural resources, controlling activities which harm the environment, issuing related regulations, imposing technical and operational restrictions as well as any necessary conditions, measures and criteria for the protection of the environment. 

 

Under Article 6, all public and private bodies must include an environmental protection and pollution control clause in local and international agreements and contracts which may be detrimental to the environment. These agreements and contracts shall include applicable penalties and the obligation to bear the costs of repairing environmental degradation and harm.

 

Articles 11-20 deal with environmental impact assessment provisions. These relate to required approval, control and supervision of private and public development projects by the Supreme Council for Environment and Natural Reserves. In cooperation with relevant administrative bodies, this council shall set the required standards, criteria and control measures related to the environmental impact of projects and establishments that are subject to licencing procedures. Furthermore, it shall determine the classes and types of development projects that are likely to be detrimental to the environment, specify the procedures for the evaluation of environmental impact, the requirements related to the issuing of an environmental authorization for a project and related matters.

 

Part 2 of the third chapter outlines provisions for air pollution control. It states that emissions must not exceed the allowed limits of air pollutants for any regulated establishment and that all projects subject to this law must prevent the discharge or leak of air pollutants accordingly. Article 34, of this chapter, states that anybody working in the exploration, extraction, production, and refining of oil must comply with the executive bylaw for this law and other applicable best practices.  Moreover, it refers to air quality standards, equipment standards and states that emissions from oil and gas operations are subject to the abovementioned stipulations.

 

This regulation also defines pertaining penalties and sanctions.

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